Baptists and Sin Revisited- Or how i discovered the God Scam in Far North Queensland

Well, as any curious net nut does, I went Googling. But first, why did I ask the question in the first place?

Back in 1982, I was in far North Queensland, bumming around, living off the land etc. Anyway, I am a curious sort of a bloke. I can follow a path through life for a while, just to see what it's like. I've spent time with Krishnas (beautiful people), Bagwhan followers (those weird Orange People), and a vast array of other different spiritual type people.
It just so happened that I meta baptist 'Evangelist'. He'd left his home town somewhere in the Southern states of australia and decided to go to Cedar Bay of all places to 'spread the word' and convert the sinning hippies to Christianity.
I was, coincidentally, about to head to Cedar bay myself, so offered (he asked actually) to guide him there. The far north was a scary place I guess for a southerner.
To cut a long story short, I ended up at a Baptist Church thing one Sunday in Cairns. it was a youth thing. Well, I walked in and there were all these 14 to 18 year olds sitting around singing and laughing. I thought, this is cool, and started dancing to the groovy music. Within seconds, my evangelist friend sidled up beside me and said, "We don't dance. It is the Devil's doing."
Aaaah, OK. Thanks gang, but you can have your Baptist Devil and somewhat benevolent god. I'll take dancing like no one is watching.

Anyway, back to the point. I found this insightful post. It sounds like something straight out of Footloose, but may well be true.
http://deepintheheart.wordpress.com/2006/10/17/a-dancing-baptist/

Why Do Baptists Consider Dancing a Sin?

C'mon all you Baptists! I find that kind of weird. You folks sings your little Christian hearts out, but if someone gets up to dance, you get the urge to exorcise them!

Please, tell me why...

Paranoia Is Not An Endearing Trait

I subscribe to Snopes. I love Snopes. Barbara and David Mikkelson present the truths and fictions of email hoaxes, tales and urban legends in an entertaining way.

The best thing about Snopes? I used to receive a plethora of emails from friends and family telling me how I could get shitloads of free stuff if I forwarded this email to ten people. Or that some kid was dying of cancer and was collecting used bubble gum wrappers to knit a quilt cover for his future coffin. Or that I could die if I drank from a Coke can without washing it because Leptosporosis carrying rats had pissed on it.

My first action before replying would be to go to Snopes, copy the URL of the relevant page that explained to them in nice terms that they were all a little gullible, then I'd reply to all with the link.

After about six months, I stopped receiving email from friends and family.

Maybe they read Snopes now too. Or maybe they just think I'm a smart arse and don't want to talk to me. Either way, I haven't received a Snopesworthy email in years.

I stay up to date with (ironically) an email update subscription from Barbara and David, so I still get to see what's circulating, just in case...

Anyway, this weeks update contained a few 'Trues' amongst the Falses. One being the following. Yes, the photos are real, but the description is somewhat strange.

Seriously. Are some people that paranoid of other races and religions that they could come up with something as misconstrued as this email that has been circulating:

Obama Is Changing The face of America

Read the Snopes article to get the full picture.

Then there was this one:

Store Honors Islamic Matyr

Some misguided, paranoid soul decided that this store was closing to honour a terrorist involved in the September 11 hijackings. Then they decided the world should know of this herecy. Perhaps if they'd asked the store owner first, they may have come away with a little more knowledge of the world.

We live in an overly paranoid world. No wonder people get stressed!

When is everyone going to just stop, chill out, take a deep breath and stop being so fucking racially and religiously obsessed!!!

The store owner explained the sign:

Store manager Imran Chunawala was stunned [by the reaction] because the holiday had nothing to do with 9/11.
Then he realized what happened. Imam Ali died on the 21st day of Ramadan in the year 661 AD. It's a somber and significant holy day for Muslims. This year it coincidentally fell on September 11.
"We did not explain enough in the sign because that is the exact same sign we put up every year on this particular day for this particular reason," said Chunawala.
He apologized for the confusion and put up a new sign thoroughly explaining the martyr they were honoring died in 661 AD.
"If people thought that that's what this was about, I apologize," Chunawala said. "That was not what this was about. I'm clarifying once again and I seriously am sorry for any misunderstanding that this caused."

On a more local note; last week, at about 7 am, the Police were alerted by a 000 (911/111) call. Apparently a suspicious man was walking up the street with a balaclava on and carrying a bag with tools in it.

When Police found the man, the exasperated reply was, "Could you tell the informant that the bag of tools are his work bag. It contains his lunch and he is on his way to work. The gentleman was wearing a beanie pulled down over his ears because it is cold."

Beanie Pulled Over Ears

Balaclava

It's not that hard is it?

Australian HEMP Party Misses 2010 Chance

The Australian 'Help End Marijuana Prohibition' (HEMP) Party has missed the chance to be a part of this years election. Unfortunately, the Party was about a week away from registration, but with the election called and writs issued, they (we) will have to wait another three years to be 'in' the election.

If you're an Aussie and you are really serious about helping promote Cannabis law Reform, why not become a member of the HEMP Party? The more members they get, the bigger voice they have when it does come to the question of Cannabis reform.

It's time Australia caught up with the most of the Western World and started recognising cannabis as a medicine and not some evil 'narcotic'.
The Australian HEMP Party Website

You're Under Arrest/arrêté/arrestasie/anholdelse/prisão/aresto/арестом

Ok folks, if you're living in Calgary, don't assume anything...

SAY WHAT? When a woman in Calgary, Alta., Canada, called police to report
a burglary, one of the officers to respond was Const. Charanjit Meharu,
an immigrant from India. The hysterical victim already had a list of
everything stolen. Then her phone rang. She spoke to her father in
Quebec, and explained in French that "she and her boyfriend made up the
story to make an insurance claim," Meharu said later. "By the end [of
the call] I had about 10 pages of notes, and I said, 'Merci beaucoup'.
She didn't expect a brown guy to speak French." The officer speaks
seven languages. (Calgary Sun) ...Though which ones specifically remain
a state secret.

From http://thisistrue.com

Gulf turtle evacuees could get lost at sea - environment - 15 July 2010 - New Scientist

Gulf turtle evacuees could get lost at sea

Scientists in the US have been collecting sea turtle eggs from oil affected coastlines and have been incubating and hatching them indoors (50 thousand plus!). They plan to release them from Atlantic Ocean facing beaches. However, specialists suggest they should release them into the Gulf Stream, otherwise their internal navigation systems (that are programmed from their laying site) may cause them to get lost.

Cosmic X-ray blast temporarily blinded NASA satellite!

Cosmic X-ray blast temporarily blinded NASA satellite

We're all gunna die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, no. Not really. But this is interesting.

The burst was so bright in X-rays it put other GRBs to shame:
slamming Swift with 143,000 X-ray photons per second,
it was 5 times brighter than the previous record holder,
and nearly 200 times as bright as a typical GRB!